Stacking Stones​A Creative Craft Blog

From the mind of Jason Kapcala comes an eclectic journal dedicated to the study of creative writing, rock music, tailgating, and other miscellany. The musings, meditations, contemplations, and ruminations expressed here are my own unless otherwise indicated. Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, and opinions, but do so respectfully and intelligently.

​It's week seven already--this season is flying by!--and we're going to do our first Monday Night Edition of The Tailgate.

This week, our theme is a bit more health conscious. (Don't groan--we heard that!) We will admit, football fans are not necessarily known for their love of salad. After all, you don't see beer commercials with people standing in the backyard, huddled around a big bowl of leafy greens, or sports bar commercials where people feast on kale beneath the glow of the giant televisions. Still, that doesn't mean that a salad-based tailgate can't be successful, especially if you pack on some proteins. There are ways to make this light fair more tailgate-appropriate. (We've done it before and it worked out great!)

​This week is also something of a two-fer because we've snuck in a second unconventional theme from our list, one that is even more controversial than salads. . . .

"SENSATIONAL SALADS"​Roughage-ing the Passer

Back in August, when we were coming up with themes, Mina had mentioned wanting to try a French cooking tailgate. (The question would be, are we bringing French cuisine down to the level of tailgating or elevating the tailgate to the level of fine French dining?) We haven't had a chance to do any French cooking, until now. With salad on the menu--a difficult sell for some tailgaters to begin with--it seemed only natural to revisit our earlier idea and French things up a bit. Salade Niçoise is a nice choice because, like a Cobb salad or a Chef salad, it is full of interesting and colorful ingredients. Typically, it is served with salmon steak on top, but we went with a sliced pork loin which is easier to prepare and keep and a bit more "pigskin friendly."

Set marinated pork on a foil-lined baking sheet. Top with Thyme sprigs. Bake for 25 minutes, until juices run clear. Then transfer the pork to a plate and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 min. before slicing across the grain.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter. Toss the beans with the shallots, some vinaigrette, and salt and pepper. Baste the tomatoes with some of the vinaigrette, as well. Arrange the beans, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients artfully over the lettuce. Spoon with more vinaigrette, to taste.

Top the salad with the cooked pork tenderloin and eat immediately, serving with crusty French bread.​​

Provençale Marinade

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic, crushed

Zest of 1 Orange

Juice of 1 Orange

1/4 c. Dry White Wine

1 sprig of Thyme, chopped (leaves only)

4 sprigs Parsley, chopped

Fresh Black Pepper and Sea Salt, to taste

Pinch of Nutmeg

Combine ingredients and mix well.

﻿﻿Creamy Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 large clove Garlic, pounded with sea salt

1/4 tsp. Sea Salt

Fresh Black Pepper, to taste

4 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 fresh Egg Yolk

6 TBSP high-quality Olive Oil

Mix all of the ingredients except for the oil in a carafe or jar with a lid. Shake vigorously. Whisk in the oil slowly to create a creamy emulsion. Stir quickly until the oil begins to thicken. Thin out with a tsp. of water, if necessary. Remove garlic clove before serving.

In thinking about how to incorporate salad into our dishes, I came across this recipe. It's salad in a soup! It's also traditionally French, killing two theme goals with one stone. Why is this good for a tailgate? One, it's easy and actually not as dainty as it sounds.Two, it has bacon in it--need I say more? And three, it's green. So you can pass it off as "Jets Soup" or "Eagles Stew" (especially if you do as we did and choose to add a little fowl to the mix).​- Kap

CREAMY LETTUCE SOUPwith Chopped Bacon and Garlic Croutons

2 heads Butter Lettuce or Boston Lettuce

2 Leeks, white parts only, sliced

2 TBSP Butter

1 clove Garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, grated

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Black Pepper

Pinch of Ground Coriander

1 TBSP fresh Tarragon, chopped

1 TBSP fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Quart Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth

1/2 c. Half-n-Half

1/2 to 1 lb. Chicken, cooked and diced or shredded (leftover rotisserie chicken is good for this) (opt.)

Stir in lettuce leaves, broth, coriander, tarragon, and parsley. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 3 min.

Blend soup in batches until very smooth. Return to pot and stir in half-n-half and cooked chicken. Heat over medium heat until heated through (do not boil).

Serve with more grated nutmeg, chopped bacon, and garlic croutons.

​​Rustic Garlic Croutons

1/2 loaf of Crusty French Bread, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic

Garlic Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On the stove top, heat garlic in olive oil without browning to create a flavored oil. Discard garlic.

​Put the bread in a bowl and drizzle with garlic oil until the bread looks coated. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Toss a few times for good measure.

Spread bread mixture on a baking sheet and toast for 7 minutes. Toss them around with a spatula and bake for 2 minutes more, if necessary. When they are brown but still somewhat soft inside, they are done.

We haven't done a wine yet this season, I don't think, and so it seemed like the right time. After all, what's French food without a good French wine? This one is from Alsace (which explains the German name), and it was recommended by our resident wine guy, Ron, at the local Kroger here in town. Ron never steers us wrong, and this wine is no exception with its minerally flavor and citrus finish.

This simple IBA cocktail is elegant enough for an after dinner drink, but also fruity enough that you can drink more than one, if you choose. It might be a bit high-brow for your typical tailgate, but it's a nice addition if you choose to go upscale like we are this week, and it's boozier than you might expect.

​- Kap

FRENCH MARTINI

1 1/2 oz. Vodka

1/2 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice

Lemon Twist

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an expressed lemon twist. (That means squeeze the oil from it into the glass before adding the garnish.)

I just spent the last weekend in New England at a professional conference. Of course it was a beautiful few days, with all of the fall colors in the leaves on the trees, and everywhere I went, there was fresh autumn produce. To commemorate my time up north, I thought we could include this autumn fruit salad, using only the freshest fall fruits. The cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves really enhance the crispiness of the apples, pears and grapes, matching the crispness in the air this time of year.

AUTUMN FRUIT SALAD

1 Blood Orange, diced (if no blood oranges are available, you can use 1 can of regular mandarin oranges, and 1/2 c. of grapefruit juice)

1/2 c. Plain Greek Yogurt

Zest of 1 Lime

Juice of 1 Lime

2 TBSP Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1 pinch Ground Cloves

1/3 c. Candied Walnuts or Pecans, roughly chopped

1 TBSP Golden Raisins

Combine all fruit in large bowl, except raisins and nuts. If grapefruit juice is needed, add it at this time.

Mix together yogurt, lime juice and zest, syrup, extracts, and spices in small bowl. Immediately before serving, pour dressing over fruit, and mix well. Top with raisins and nuts, and serve.

PREDICTION

Win vs. Panthers!

Call me crazy. I haven't picked the Eagles to lose yet this year, but I've been critical of their play every week. I swear, I'm not that much of a homer. It's just that, when I look at their schedule, I see winnable games. Like this week. . . . I realize the Panthers haven't lost a game yet, but in some ways, that makes me want to pick them even more. They are a resilient and talented team, and Cam Newton is a good quarterback, but they aren't going to go undefeated forever. This week could be the weak where, against a stout Eagles defensive line, Cam Newton finds himself under pressure. I think it'll be a close game, but I'm giving the Eagles a slight edge, even as underdogs, and I'm hoping that it'll bring me above .500 for the first time this season.

Kap's Season Record:3-3

Can the Eagles can Cam? We'll see. . .

Tune in next week for our Team Spirits Tailgate!

All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.